Following news that Hachette Book Group will be acquiring Perseus Books Group's publishing imprints, and Ingram Publisher Services will be adding Perseus's distribution arm, HBG CEO Michael Pietsch and Ingram CEO John Ingram sent statements to Perseus staffers on Tuesday afternoon.
For his part, Pietsch reiterated that the acquisition is expected to close at the end of July, and said that Perseus will become a "major new division" at HBG, joining Grand Central Publishing; Little, Brown and Company; Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Hachette Nashville; Orbit; Hachette Books; and Hachette Audio. He also wrote that the company plans to keep Perseus's imprints in the cities where they are currently located, integrating New York and Boston staff into HBG's new offices in those locations in early 2015.
Ingram reaffirmed that after the deal closes, the distributor plans to combine Perseus's distribution solutions for independent publishers with Ingram Publisher Services, and will add Perseus's Jackson, Tenn., facility to its distribution system.
